Our long national nightmare is over. James Harden has finally been traded.
The drama eminating out of Houston came to abrupt and momentous halt Wednesday when word hit Twitter in the middle of the afternoon that the Rockets had reached an agreement to send its franchise player—a future Hall of Famer and one of the most dynamic offensive players in NBA history—to the Nets. Soon enough we learned the details of the deal and it turned into a doozy of a transcation.
Sources: Full current trade:
Rockets: Victor Oladipo, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, 3 BKN first-rounders (22, 24, 26), 1 MIL first (22, unprotected), 4 BKN 1st round swaps (21, 23, 25, 27)
Nets: James Harden
Pacers: Caris LeVert, 2nd-rounder
Cavs: Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 13, 2021
So Houston placated its superstar. The Nets didn't blink. Unexpectedly, two teams nobody thought would jump into the mix did and each made some nice upgrades. Now that the dust has settled on one of the most seismic in-season trades of recent Association memory, it's time to do what we do: hand out winners and losers.